Unauthorized Picking-up Revealed
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AT the resumed hearing at Luton last week of an application by Buckmaster Garages, Ltd., Leighton Buzzard, for express and excursion licences from Aylesbury to Glasgow, the joint Traffic Commissioners of the East Midland. Metropolitan and Eastern Areas heard that the Western S.M.T. Co., Ltd., operated an unauthorized picking-up point at Biggleswade as well as at Baldock (The Commercial Motor, November 28).
It appeared that the point had been used for between 25-28 years in good faith, and was popular with passengers joining Scottish coaches from Bedford and Luton.
For Buckmaster's, Mr. J. A. Hines examined some 30 witnesses resident in Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable, Luton and Bedford, in which towns the applicants proposed to have picking-up
points. In addition, 70 written statements were laid before the court.
Evidence pointed to the inconvenience of rail services, particularly from Aylesbury, and the difficulties faced by parents, accompanied by their children and holiday luggage, in making crosscountry journeys by local bus to connect with Western S.M.T. coaches on the Great North Road.
The point of view of a Mrs. Fraser, for example, was perhaps typical of would-be travellers from Bedford. She had made use of both railway and coach services to the north. In the former case, she had been confronted with a midnight change of train at Kettering in one direction and at Leicester in the other.
Whilst she had no complaints of the coach service, she found the bus journey from Bedford to Biggleswade inconvenient and the kerbside wait at the coach stop tedious.
The hearing was adjourned until January 20. 21 and 22.